The Shield

The New Guy

Season 6, Episode 4, Aired 4/24/07

Episode Summary

Claudette gives Vic a chance to save his job if he agrees to train his potential replacement. An unsolved rape case from the past that Dutch and Claudette were working on resurfaces. Meanwhile, Aceveda meets someone that can help him further his political career.

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Cast & Crew

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Walton Goggins

Detective Shane Vendrell
Michael Jace

Officer Julien Lowe
Michael Chiklis

Detective Vic Mackey

Fan Episode Reviews (8)

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With Vic having completed his crusade to avenge Lem's (fake) killer to his satisfaction, things at the Barn return to normal - that is, except for the fact that Vic is assigned to train his eventual replacement.moreless

9.0

"Superb"

By Figgnuts, Apr 24, 2011 Report Abuse

After the gripping and emotional episodes that we've seen since the beginning of the season, this episode sort of falls back into the usual Shield groove. That's not a bad thing, but this offering simply isn't as powerful and hard-hitting as the previous three episodes have been - although there are some juicy tidbits to chew on.

I have a feeling that Kevin Hyatt is going to end up like so many other misunderstood characters - Aceveda, Claudette, Kavanaugh, Shane. Going in, all parties involved know for a fact that Hyatt is intended to replace Vic and take over the Strike Team. For the die-hard Vic fans, that's GOT to get them a little bit up-in-arms.

But here's the thing - I kind of like Hyatt so far. He's not nearly as layered as some of the other characters on the show, but then again, neither were Shane or Lem in their first appearances. Hyatt, while not as out-of-the-box interesting as say, Tavon, has got some potential as a character and I like the way he interacted with Vic in this episode. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, but he's also capable of going in as hard as Vic, Ronnie, or Shane when necessary. In a way, he's the Anti-Vic, but in a different way than Aceveda or Kavanaugh were. While those characters were more Vic's polar opposites, Hyatt is closer to Vic's level.

A couple of things about Shane here - firstly, a quick booty call might make sense, but keeping up any kind of relationship with this hood rat? Shane, you've GOT to know that that's not smart. It cannot end well.

And, not to point out the obvious, but I liked the scene where Shane blew up at the rest of the Strike Team for "forgetting" about Lem. It's kind of obvious but it makes sense - Vic and Ronnie miss Lem, but they've punished the man who they believe is responsible and they recognize that you have to move on, with or without the pain of loss. Shane, however, simply cannot move on, because he's in a different league than the other two. While Vic may always feel remorse that his actions led Lem to death in part, Shane will always have to live with the fact that he is the man that pulled the trigger. Shane will always remember dropping the grenade into his friends' lap; he will always remember Lem calling out his name just before the explosion; he will ALWAYS remember Lem's face looked just before he died. Shane is haunted.

And, not to contradict myself, but so is Vic - in a different kind of way. His quest to protect the defected gang-bangers seems to hit Vic way too personally, and the rage he flies into when he fails doesn't seem to be the way Vic would act under normal circumstances. I think what's happening here is that Vic saw in this ex-banger a little bit of Lem - someone who messed up, but was tired of running and was going to confront his problems face on. When he failed to protect Lem yet again, he flew into the rage that we saw.

Great episode. I am VERY interested to see how Julien works out on this Brave New Strike Team. I think he'll be able to hold his own and kick some tail, if the guys'll let him.moreless

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This episode is as well-written as anything I've ever seen on TV-including the highly-vaunted Sopranos.

9.4

"Superb"

By rockin01, Feb 14, 2011 Report Abuse

I know there are those who aren't in love with S6. I'm not one of them. What's not to love? the writing has never been better- the breakneck pace of the plotting, the grace notes that add such an air of realism, the intricate interplay among the cast, the whip-smart dialogue- it's hard to find anything much to gripe about. Ok, there's the whole Hiatt storyline- it feels artificial and too much like a rehash of the whole Terry thing for my taste, but we'll give it a chance and see where it leads. And Shane's arc is about to officially get on my nerves. It's time to quit dilly-dallying around and resolve this one way or the other. But these are fairly minor quibbles about a season I am lovin' for the most part. Vic's breakdown at the end alone makes this a must-see episode.moreless

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As the Strike Team pushes forward after the loss of Lem, the new guy Kevin Hiatt steps up to shadow Vic and the boys for a day. This episode holds very pivotal information in regards to the future of the Strike Team as well as the Barn.moreless

9.0

"Superb"

By AlexKrycec, Jul 14, 2010 Report Abuse

Our episode begins with a shoot-out. The Strike Team is called into action, and assited by Vic's future replacement, Kevin Hiatt. The shoot-out was a result of a fraction between one-niners; those who want out of the life, and those that won't let them out so easy.

Throughought the body of the episode, Vic leads Kevin through out town teachng him a few tricks of HIS trade. I think Vic may have actually learned a new thing or two as well. The team, minus Hiatt, is visited by Corrine, who had a claims to have had a prophetic dream about the safety of Lem in his after life. This tears at the emotions of Shane immediately, but Vic is soon to follow.

The team approaches Moses, the leader of the one-niners and asks for an end to the bloodshed. In doing so, Vic "makes a deal" with Moses in order to save lives. Hiatt, learns that this deal was just a tool used to buy the team soe time to save the others. Unforunately for them, Moses backed down on his words as well.

With all the commotion of the new guy, there are several moments where Claudette and Kevin Hiatt are discussing the future of the team. Hiatt is calling for the construction of his own team, and Claudette wants him to run two teams. Either way, Claudette's agenda begins to look shaky, offering Vic an appeal to keep his job which seems to be bogus. Claudette is merely getting Vic to play nice so he can show Hiatt the ropes.

As the events of the day unfold, Shane is seen with his 15 year old CI/booty call who's giving up information on the lieutenants of Moses who're killing the revolutionaries. As the next episode previes suggest, his relationship to this girl is going to get him into some serious trouble.

Shane walks into the clubhouse, reminding the team that Lem is gone, and that laughing isn't appropriate in their lives yet. He also suggests that Hiatt is nowhere near the cop that Lem was (since Hiatt used Lem's old shotgun earlier). Walton Goggins does some of his finest acting in this episode.

Dutch and Billings re-open a serial rapist file from weeks prior to the episode (not from an actual episode). The two find a women being raped in broad daylight in public, while unconscious. The man raper her said he found her there and though she was a prostitute, but was not the one who tortured her and carved the words "go home" into her abdomen.

Aceveda meets with a councilman who informs Aceveda of how to lower the bad press from the Lemansky corruption/murder case. The councilman's suggestion is to solve the San Marcos Massacre. This contradicts the strings he pulled to relieve the Barn from their lack of resources by giving the case to Robbery-Homicide, and brews a new tension between Aceveda and Wyms.

Near the end of the episode, Claudette approaching Julian to join the "new" Strike Team. With a forceful "say yes" approach, Julian agrees on the grounds that things will change and the bad apples will be gone soon.

Finally, Vic and the team find one of the remaining revolutionaries, survivng from a gunshot to the stomach. The team pulls him out of his hiding spot and rushes him to the ER. Upon arrival, the victim bleeds out and dies as Vic calls for attention for his victim. This scene has the most extraordinary fit of rage EVER portrayed by Michael Chiklis. Here, its almost as if he had a revelation about Lem's death, his future, and his lack of control. The team watches on as Vic destroys the waiting room, and Captain Wyms satnds silence, fully aware that this beasts time is almost up.

Tune in next week for a review of more wild and crazy Shield action.moreless

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4 1
The New Guy is Excellent. I Believe it would be Great if He and Vic Hit it off and Become a Team. Hopefully The New Guy will Help Vic Walk a more Honest Path. Whatever Happens I don't want Vic off the Strike Team. Excellent Show. Lots of Drama.moreless

9.5

"Superb"

By 1gmanc1, May 02, 2007 Report Abuse

The Movie The Shield is an Exceptionally Well Casted and filmed TV Show with two thumbs up. It covers a lot of Good and Evil and is an eye opener for some. I don't always agree with what takes place However it seems to me very close to Reality as you can get. Peoples emotions are put to the test. Morals are tested. A Myriad of real life situations are portrayed in this show. Vic along with Everyone in the cast are exceptional in their roles. They convey a feeling of being there with them in whatever encounter they are faced with. Makes You Stop and Think.moreless

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The death of Lem affects Shane a great deal yet it also has it's effect on Vic. The new guy Kevin Hyatt is working with Vic and Claudette has lied to Vic about still keeping his job.moreless

10

"Perfect"

By hurleyjunx666, Apr 25, 2007 Report Abuse

This is the most intense and well-acted show of the season so far. Michael Chiklis and Walton Goggins (Vic & Shane) put on superb performances. Shane being a jackass to the new guy Kevin Hyatt yet feeling remorse and sorrow for what happened to Lem. Shane knows he can't keep his secret hidden for long and his emotional breakdown and hostile behavior about Lem causes him to feel even worse about what he did.

Vic having a rage in the end put the climax to the episode. I can relate his reaction about Vontes dying to Kavanaugh's reaction in Season 5 in the 'Trophy' episode. Vic's reaction this time is more emotional as we finally see Vic losing control and in emotional pain.

I thought Claudette was the only honest cop who still had integrity left in the series. She made a 180 degree turn by lying to Vic about staying with Farmington instead of forced retirement. It causes Vic to work with the new guy and make things go smoothly yet we know Vic has been tricked for he most likely will be gone soon.

The writers made this a great episode by tying the ending to the dream that Corrinne told the strike team in the beginning. Then a box comes to the strike team with books Lem had ordered before going to jail. Vic, Shane and Ronnie realize that Lem's death is still affecting them and they have not recovered fully from it. With the situation about Vontes and his 6 buddies needing to hid out from the one-niners, Vic relates Vontes to Lem and vows to keep him safe. However, as they find Vontes shot and they race to the hospital to keep him alive he can't make it and dies in the hospital. This causes Vic to destroy the waiting room in the most intense and fitting act of rage I've ever seen. It's due to relating Vontes to Lem and Vic's vow to protect him and keep him safe.

As I said before, the acting was at the top of it's game with Vic and Shane. It's only a matter of time before Shane confesses and Vic is forced out. Every character in this episode each took a twist (Claudette lying to Vic, Shane casting aside his cocky attitude for emotional remorse over Lem, Vic breaking down in emotional pain when we see him as the tough-move-on cop) and it was entertaining to see that.

Hopefully everyone who watches can see that while the strike team has done some bad things in the past, they still have a heavy heart and conscience for losing a brother like Lem!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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Notes
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- First appearance of Cruz Pezuela.
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- International Airdates: Australia: February 25, 2008 on Network 10 Czech Republic: September 25, 2008 on AXN Finland: September 24, 2009 on Nelonen Edit
Quotes
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- Billings: I love the smell of underage sexual assault in the morning. (Dutch and Claudette give him a look) I didn't mean that the way it came out. Edit
- Dutch: What about Tina, she out sick? Claudette: No. She transferred out. Billings: Finally make your move? Scare Hanlon and her bikini briefs out the door. Edit
- Hiatt: My guess is you wanted to get out. In which case, you're not a bad guy. But I'm looking at you now, man, with your locked jaw, your pissed off stare. Ray: And I'm a black man, and you're a cop. Hiatt: So picture me with a puppy. Give you that warm, fuzzy feeling. Edit
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